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F(r)iction Short Story Contest
F(r)iction
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, and Short Story
We seek work that actively pushes boundaries, that forces us to question traditions and tastes. If your work takes risks, we want to read it. We like strong narratives that make us feel something and stories we haven’t seen before. We accept work, written in English, from anywhere in the world—regardless of genre, style, or origin—and welcome speculative writing and experimental literature. Strange is good. Strange with a strong character arc is even better. Keep it weird, folks.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024
Iridescence Award
Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Science Fiction
Kinsman Quarterly seeks fiction and poetry submissions from BIPOC authors for the Iridescence Award by December 31. Themes should include the supernatural, extraterrestrial, paranormal--urban fantasy, magical realism, science fiction, Afro-futurism, etc. Winners receive cash prizes up to $500 USD and publication in our literary magazine and E-book. No fees required.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Publication in Kinsman Quarterly and the Iridescence anthology
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)
Writer's Games
The Writer's Workout
Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Writer's Games is a free competition with six surprise challenges over six weeks, designed to help each individual writer improve his or her craft fast. FREE registration is required in advance (opens May 1, 2024). Every entry from a registered participant receives honest, unbiased feedback from multiple judges. There's no elimination; push yourself to try each challenge and see what you alone can do in 72 hours each week. The top five winners each week are published in a competition anthology (that's 25 chances, plus the Judges' Choice!).
Top Prize:
Publication in anthology, 72 Hours (26+ spaces)
📅 Deadline: July 22, 2024
Indignor Play House Annual Short Story Competition
Indignor House Publishing
Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult
Indignor House Publishing is proud to announce that our annual writing competition (INDIGNOR PLAYHOUSE Short Story Annual Competition) is officially open with expected publication in the fall of 2024. Up to 25 submissions will be accepted for inclusion in the annual anthology.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)
Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize
Gotham Writers Workshop
Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is a writing competition sponsored by the stage and radio series Selected Shorts. Selected Shorts is recorded for Public Radio and heard nationally on both the radio and its weekly podcast. This years entries will be judged by Carmen Maria Machado (In the Dream House, Her Body and Other Parties).
Top Prize:
$1000 + free 10 week course with Gotham Writers
💰 Entry fee: $25
📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)
Reader Views Literary Awards
Reader Views
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
The Reader Views Literary Awards program helps level the playing field for self-published authors, recognizing the most creative and exciting new books in the industry. Our awards program is recognized industry-wide as one of the top literary awards programs for independent authors.
Top Prize:
$2,500
Additional prizes:
Several marketing prizes (e.g. book review)
💰 Entry fee: $89
📅 Deadline: December 15, 2024
A Very Short Story Contest
Gotham Writers Workshop
Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, and Non-fiction
Write a great short story in ten words or fewer. Submit it to our contest. Entry is free. Winner of the bet gets a free Gotham class.
Top Prize:
Free writing class from Gotham Writers Workshop.
📅 Deadline: May 31, 2024
First Chapter + Synopsis Competition
Fiction Factory
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novel, Romance, Science Fiction, and Young Adult
Have you completed the first draft of your novel? Are you ready to pass it on to a fresh pair of eyes, to see if you are on the right track? Is your all-important first chapter ready for submission to an agent? Whatever your plans, your first chapter must shine – it must grab your readers or quickly lose their interest.
Top Prize:
£500 + an appraisal
💰 Entry fee: $22
📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)
The 2022 First Chapter Book Contest
TheNextBigWriter, LLC
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Novel, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult
Have a book or a novel idea you've been noodling? Enter your first chapter into the Booksie First Chapter Contest and see how it does. You don't need to have finished the book. You don't even need more than the first chapter. We're looking for a start that will grab our attention, that is original, that is well written, and that makes us want to beg you to see what comes next. And for those we find, we'll provide some awards to inspire you to finish writing the book or, if finished, to help get it published.
Top Prize:
$500
Additional prizes:
Gold contest badge.
💰 Entry fee: $5
📅 Deadline: May 14, 2022 (Expired)
100 Word Writing Contest
Tadpole Press
Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's, Poetry, Romance, Short Story, Suspense, and Travel
Can you write a story using 100 words or less? Pieces will be judged on creativity, uniqueness, and how the story captures a new angle, breaks through stereotypes, and expands our beliefs about what's possible or unexpectedly delights us. In addition, we are looking for writing that is clever or unique, inspires us, and crafts a compelling and complete story. The first-place prize has doubled to $2,000 USD.
Top Prize:
$2,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: writing coach package
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024
North Street Book Prize
Winning Writers
Genres: Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Children's, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult
Submit a self-published or hybrid-published book, up to 200,000 words in length. One grand prize winner will receive $10,000, a marketing analysis and one-hour phone consultation with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a $300 credit at BookBaby, three months of Plus service (a $207 value) and a $500 account credit from Book Award Pro, and 3 free ads in the Winning Writers newsletter (a $525 value)
Top Prize:
$10,000
Additional prizes:
$1,000 for top winner in each category | $300 for honorable mentions
💰 Entry fee: $75
📅 Deadline: May 01, 2024
Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize
North American Review
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, and Suspense
The Vonnegut Prize is an annual fiction competition intended to recognize the finest speculative fiction, which can include, but is not limited to, work influenced by the postmodern science-fiction of Kurt Vonnegut. We love Vonnegut’s dark humor, but please avoid mere imitation. We are enthusiastic about all work painted with speculative fiction’s broad brush: fairy tale, magical realism, fabulism, the fantastic, horror, Afro-futurism, science fiction hard and soft, and everything in between. The winning entry will appear in the North American Review's annual summer issue, and all finalists will be considered for publication.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication
💰 Entry fee: $23
📅 Deadline: November 02, 2024
Inspiring Fiction's Special Edition Short Story Contest
Inspiring Fiction
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller
Inspiring Fiction’s special edition short story contest is on the theme ‘Freedom’. We are looking for crime, speculative, and fantasy short stories. The winner and shortlisted entries will be published in a bumper crossover issue of Tangled Web Magazine and Mirk Fantasy Magazine.
Top Prize:
£100
Additional prizes:
Publication and published review by the editor
💰 Entry fee: $6
📅 Deadline: July 31, 2024
Edinburgh Short Story Award
Scottish Arts Trust
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Suspense, Thriller, and Young Adult
£3,000 first prize for writers worldwide and stories on any topic up to 2,000 words. We welcome stories in all genres: literary, historic, crime, romance, gritty realism, contemporary, humour and more.
Top Prize:
£3,000
Additional prizes:
2nd: £500 | 3rd: £250 | Publication
💰 Entry fee: $12
📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)
Season Themes
HAVOK Publishing
Genres: Fantasy, Flash Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller
HAVOK is a constant flash fiction contest, with rolling deadlines. Each season is split into monthly competitions with thematically connected prompts in a range of genres.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Publication in an anthology. Potential for larger gift card wins.
📅 Deadline: December 29, 2023 (Expired)
Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Science Writing, and Short Story
The Brink Literary Journal Award for Hybrid Writing will be administered to the winner of a literary contest designed to champion innovative hybrid and cross-genre work.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
Publication
💰 Entry fee: $22
📅 Deadline: February 16, 2024 (Expired)
April Flash Fiction Challenge
Writing Peers
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Horror, Mystery, Romance, and Thriller
Are you seeking lots of feedback? Ever wondered what it’s like to step into the shoes of a jury? Pull a genre, pick a prompt, and let your creativity soar. Submit your piece, then review other entries and develop an eye for what makes a story stand out. Receive detailed feedback, evolve as a writer and you might even walk away with the prize money!
Top Prize:
$1000
💰 Entry fee: $15
📅 Deadline: April 14, 2024 (Expired)
First 5 Pages Prize
Stockholm Writers Festival
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult
SWF is proud to launch the First 5 Pages Prize to mark our 5th anniversary. Dazzle us with your brilliance. Delight us with your wit. Deceive us with your dastardly plot-twists. There will be one Grand Prize winner chosen from all entries. The winner will receive: $1000 cash, a ticket to SWF22, a pitch meeting with an agent conducted over Zoom, two night’s accommodation at a boutique hotel, and a full developmental edit donated by Reedsy, the industry’s leading platform for writing services.
Top Prize:
$1,000
Additional prizes:
A full developmental edit donated by Reedsy & pitch meeting with an agent
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: January 31, 2022 (Expired)
Best Indie Book Award
Best Indie Book Award
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
The annual Best Indie Book Award® (or BIBA®) is an international literary awards contest recognizing self-published and independently published authors from all over the world. Entries are limited to independently (indie) published books, including those from small presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors.
Top Prize:
Trophy
💰 Entry fee: $65
📅 Deadline: August 15, 2024
Fairytales & Myths Competition 2024
Write the World
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, and Flash Fiction
Since the very first tale told by the fireside, the idea of mysterious worlds—rife with talking trees, dragons and beasts, and spells of all kinds—has captivated us humans. This month, dear writers, write a myth or fairytale that uses fantasy as a lens to understand the reality of everyday life.
Top Prize:
Best entry: $100
Additional prizes:
Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50
📅 Deadline: March 04, 2024 (Expired)
Spring Microfiction Battle
Writing Battle
Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult
Two days to write a 500 word short story. The peer-powered quarterly writing contest where every story receives oodles of feedback. Write one. Read ten. Win thousands.
Top Prize:
Genre Winner (x4): $1,500
Additional prizes:
Genre Runner-up (x4): $375 | Feedback by industry professionals
💰 Entry fee: $20
📅 Deadline: May 03, 2024
Science Fiction & Fantasy Writing 2023
Write the World
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, and Short Story
Fantasy and sci-fi stir our imaginations, inviting us to think outside the limits of the life we know. This month, you have the extraordinary and exciting task of reimagining the world. In a fantasy or sci-fi short story, take your readers on a journey into a world of your imagination.
Top Prize:
$100
Additional prizes:
Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50
💰 Entry fee: $0
📅 Deadline: October 23, 2023 (Expired)
